Johannesburg, South Africa – A British businessman, Michael Lomas, has been extradited from the United Kingdom to South Africa to face 65 counts of corruption related to his involvement with South Africa’s struggling state-owned power utility, Eskom.
Lomas, a former contractor through his firm Tubular Construction, is accused of accepting kickbacks on contracts valued at over 1.4 billion rand ($80 million; £60 million) for work at the Kusile power station. This project has been marred by allegations of widespread corruption. According to police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, Lomas allegedly manipulated contracts during his tenure and fled South Africa after initially being arrested and granted bail.
Lomas’s extradition comes at a time when Eskom is attempting to recover from years of mismanagement and corruption, which have resulted in ongoing power blackouts that have severely impacted the country’s economy.
The 65-year-old arrived at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport early Friday morning under heavy police guard, and in a wheelchair due to reported poor health. Brigadier Mathe told News24 that a medical doctor accompanied Lomas on the flight as part of the conditions for his extradition.
Lomas made a brief appearance at Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court before the case was postponed. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) originally requested his extradition in 2022, but the process was delayed due to multiple appeals lodged by Lomas, all of which were eventually dismissed.
Lomas is accused alongside 11 other alleged co-conspirators, including two senior Eskom executives and two businessmen, who were arrested in 2019. Their case is ongoing at the Johannesburg High Court.
The NPA has confirmed that Lomas will be formally charged and his case will be combined with those of his co-accused. Lomas has not yet commented publicly on the charges against him.
This case is one of many efforts to address the extensive corruption that has plagued Eskom, a key institution in South Africa’s energy sector.
BBC